The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a world-wide standard for digital wireless mobile telephones. Digital wireless telephone technology, in recent years, has advanced to 3G networks due to consumer demand for video telephony services. For all its popularity, GSM networks are unable to deliver video telephony services due to GSM's characteristic narrow bandwidth at 9.6 kilo bits per sec (kbps). On the other hand, 3G networks can transmit data at a rate of 64 kbps, and thus is more suitable for the transmission of video data.
However, despite the technological advancements in 3G networks, digital wireless telephony services and equipment using the GSM standard currently dominate the world market. For example, as of October 2004, more than 1 billion people use GSM wireless telephones, according to some the GSM association. GSM wireless telephony services and equipment account for approximately 70% of the world market in digital wireless telephony. In contrast, the 3G telephony services and equipment account for less than 9% of the world market.
In view of the foregoing, a manner of transmitting video data in the context of GSM networks is needed in order to capitalize on GSM's world market dominance.